NEW ORLEANS – Misery devolved into a very different emotion as the Giants today were getting beat so badly that they couldn’t fathom what the heck was going on.
“It got to a point where it was almost comical,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. “We couldn’t do nothing to stop them.”
Nothing at all. If this was indeed an NFC showdown then the Giants got thrown down. Their vaunted defense allowed touchdowns on the first four series and turned Drew Brees into an immortal, turning Eli Manning’s homecoming into a cacophony of noise and lowlights in a decisive and troubling 48-27 loss to the Saints inside the Superdome.
“It’s not the way I imagined it,” Manning said.
How could Manning have imagined that his teammates on the defensive side of the ball would fail to show up in the biggest game thus far this season? Beating up on the Buccaneers, Chiefs and Raiders catapulted the Giants defense to No. 1 in the NFL, a lofty perch that they were shoved down from with every missile fired by Brees, who completed 23 of 30 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Marques Colston (8-166). It was the most points scored against the Giants in more than 10 years.
During one especially torrid first-half stretch Brees completed 15 consecutive passes, looking as if he was auditioning for the league’s MVP award. He was never sacked, rarely bothered and always way too much for the Giants to deal with.
“I didn’t see this coming,” Antonio Pierce said.
“Of course it’s embarrassing,” added defensive end Osi Umenyiora. “The Saints are a good team but they’re not THAT good. It’s a humbling experience. It’s better it happens now than later.”
It’s better if it never happened at all to the Giants, who fell to 5-1 and were no match for the Saints (5-0). This couldn’t have worked out any worse for Manning (14 of 31, 178 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), who missed on a few throws early and then was simply too far behind to make a difference. This couldn’t have worked out any more gloriously for tight end Jeremy Shockey, who got the last laugh in his first game against his former team. Shockey caught all of his four passes in the first half, including a 1-yard touchdown that made it 14-0 to get the rout going.
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel a little bit better than some teams,” Shockey said of beating the Giants. “I’m sure we’ll face these guys again somewhere down the road.”
There were brief instances when the Giants flirted with a comeback. Manning’s second-quarter scoring pass to Mario Manningham cut the deficit to 27-17. There appeared to be a momentum shift when with 55 seconds left in the half the Giants defense actually stiffened, with Umenyiora and Bryan Kehl stopping Pierre Thomas on fourth down from the Giants 1-yard line.
Looking to get closer before halftime, the Giants instead got further behind. Manning was sacked on a blind-side hit by safety Roman Harper, fumbled and linebacker Scott Shanle scooped up the fumble and rumbled to the Giants 7-yard line before tight end Kevin Boss made the tackle. Two plays later, Reggie Bush coasted into the end zone. It was 34-17 at halftime and that was that.
This was an abysmal and embarrassing outing for the Giants defense, particularly their secondary, which had been No. 1 in the league. Too bad they can’t play JaMarcus Russell every week. The most blatant culprits were safety C.C. Brown – who was exposed in coverage all day – and nickel back Kevin Dockery, who at times looked as if he was allergic to the Saints receivers.
“I think we came out a little bit lackadaisical,” Brown said. “We didn’t really come out hard in the beginning. We couldn’t get our techniques right.”
They couldn’t get much right.
“Obviously we could not stop them,” Tom Coughlin said. “There’s no excuse. We have to regroup. When you don’t win a game you’re very concerned. Everyone’s at fault. Really, every aspect of our game we need to be very serious about evaluating.”
Brees ended his two-game streak without a touchdown throw by completing 23 of 30 passes for 369 yards and four scores Sunday, and New Orleans easily remained unbeaten, 48-27.
The Giants (5-1) came into the game giving up averages of 210.6 yards and 14.2 points. The Saints (5-0) had 34 points and 315 yards by halftime, as Brees threw three TD passes to reach 100 since the Saints signed him as a free agent in 2006.
Manning looked like his father Archie sometimes did when he played for the Saints, fumbling on a sack and throwing an interception under pressure when Ahmad Bradshaw missed a block.
It was Manning’s first game in the Louisiana Superdome, but not a memorable one – or for fellow Louisiana natives Brandon Jacobs and Corey Webster. Manning was 14 of 31 for 178 yards. He lost his cool at least once, yelling at Bradshaw and slapping his shoulder pad after the running back’s lapse in protection precipitated a rushed throw that Jabari Greer intercepted early in the third quarter, stalling a promising drive.
Manning connected with Mario Manningham for a 15-yard score in the second quarter, but also overthrew an open Steve Smith on a deep pass that could have resulted in a touchdown in the first half. He was replaced by David Carr after the game was out of reach in the fourth quarter.
By contrast, Brees went for long stretches without missing, at one point connecting on 15 straight throws, two short of the franchise record he already owns. That stretch included his first three touchdown passes: 1 yard to former Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey, 36 yards to Robert Meachem and 12 yards to Lance Moore.
Marques Colston, a college standout at Hofstra, put on a show for his fans watching back in the New York area, often victimizing Webster as he caught eight passes for 166 yards and a 12-yard touchdown. He twisted gracefully in the air to snag passes thrown high and behind him, held the ball while absorbing hard hits and broke tackles while struggling for extra yards. He averaged 20.8 yards a catch, and his longest gain went for 40 yards.
New Orleans racked up more than 500 total yards before a sack of backup Mark Brunell made it 493. Moore caught six passes for 78 yards and Meachem had two catches for 70. New Orleans had 133 yards on the ground, led by Pierre Thomas’ 72. Mike Bell, Reggie Bush and fullback Heath Evans all scored on runs.
By the end, jubilant fans rained down thunderous chants of “Who dat say they gonna beat them Saints. Who dat, Who dat!”
New Orleans has beaten all comers by 14 points or more and knocked off two straight unbeaten teams from New York, having defeated the Jets 24-10 in Week 4. New Orleans hasn’t trailed once all season.
Brees marched the Saints 70 yards in 15 plays on the game’s opening drive for a 7-0 lead. Webster nearly intercepted one third-down pass, but ended up tipping it to Moore for an 18-yard gain.
On fourth-and-1 from the 2, Bell soared over the pile for a score, demonstrating he’s no longer hampered by the right knee sprain that sidelined him two games.
The Saints led 20-3 early in the second quarter when Darren Sharper intercepted Manning for what would have been his sixth interception – and third for a TD – this season. But Jonathan Vilma’s roughing-the-passer penalty gave New York the ball at the New Orleans 19. Bradshaw scored on a 10-yard run.
Manningham’s TD cut it to 27-17, capping a drive that began with Domenick Hixon’s 68-yard kickoff return.
The Saints took a 34-17 lead at halftime on Bush’s 7-yard run, capping a wild exchange. First, the Giants held the Saints on a goal-line stand, stuffing Thomas on fourth down from the 1. Soon after, Manning was sacked and stripped by safety Roman Harper. Saints linebacker Scott Shanle recovered and advanced the ball to the Giants 7, setting up Bush’s TD.